The Empty Vessel of Konoha
by Kirdei Antares
Summary: Naruto has contained the Nine Tailed Fox's energy since his birth. But when the man who saved his parents' lives offers to turn his energy into true power will he be willing to start over, powerless, as an Empty Vessel? No pairing yet.
1. Prologue: Arrival

The Empty Vessel of Konoha

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy XI. Please don't sue me!

Author's Note: I have many rules when it comes to writing things. Whether it is a paper for school or a fan fiction on this website. Of these rules I have only consciously broken one, don't write songfics. I've written two and, as of now, I don't plan on writing anymore.

Today I break my second rule of fan fiction, never write a crossover. The reason I say this is because I have rarely seen crossover fics that are well written and seem to mostly be there for a person to place their favorite character from one thing in another world to hook up with their other favorite character. However, the other day I was searching for Blue Mage FFXI fics and came across two fics that crossed Naruto and FFXI. They were such complete abominations that I was forced, in a temporary insanity, to write this test chapter.

The only, _only_, reason I have decided to write this out was because the very concept of a Blue Mage from FFXI rings true with Naruto's own situation.

(My most important rule is no self-insert. Can't stand those.)

And so I apologize in advance for this. Thank you and forgive me.

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue: Arrival<strong>

_Location Unknown_

_Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…_

'Ugh…What's that sound?'

_Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…_

A young man slowly opened his eyes as the steady sound brought him to consciousness.

"Wha…Where am I?" he gasped as he looked around. Strange…machines surrounded him in an unfamiliar room.

"Is this Bastok?" He whispered. 'No it can't be. These machines are far more advanced than even those Bastokans could develop.' He rubbed his forehead, noticing it was covered in bandages, as he tried to come to terms with what he was seeing. To remember how he even got here. Glancing down he noticed wires hanging off of him and a needle stuck in his arm connected to some sort of bag.

"A potion perhaps?" He furrowed his brow. 'No that's not right. That fluid is clear. Potions are…'

Suddenly a well-endowed Hume woman in a white outfit burst into the room. "彼は目を覚ましている！"

He blinked at the woman as she began checking him over and looking at the machine that made the strange noise. 'Altana…I wish she'd shut that thing off.'

"あなたの名前は何ですか？" She…asked him? He paled as he realized he couldn't understand the Hume. Where was he that he couldn't understand the language? He just shook his head at her.

"I don't understand you." He said. She looked at him in confusion for a second before realizing what was happening.

Placing a hand on her chest she said, "Tsu…na…de." The she pointed at him. "あなたの名前は何ですか"Quick on the uptake he smiled at her, hopefully in a non-threatening way, and placed a hand on his chest.

"Jatiro." He said simply. She nodded again and scribbled something, probably his name, down on a sheet of parchment. A moment later several more Humes in similar white outfits came in and began poking and prodding him. 'A hospital then.'

The doctors began conducting more tests, drew a vial of blood which surprised them with its blue tint, and otherwise made him as uncomfortable as possible. He endured it with good grace as these people, despite their strange language and outlandish machines, may have saved his life.

And then a new man walked in. Jatiro sized the man up and was impressed. The man was probably a bit shorter than him with bright blond hair and striking blue eyes. He had an air of power about him. Something that demanded obedience from those around him, and yet there was also kindness and compassion in his eyes. The man fixed Jatiro with a piercing gaze of his own.

"さて、誰が、彼は何ですか？ 忍者？ 彼はから何を国来るのですか?"The man asked of the people around him. The first Hume he spoke with, Tsunade, came over and began talking with him.

"彼の名前はJatiroです。それ以外に我々は何を知っている。彼は言語を話すことはありません。" The man looked from Jatiro to Tsunade and back. Sighing, he gave the group of doctors a dismissive wave. They hesitated for a moment, worried about their patient, but quickly left as he fixed them with a look that demanded they obey. When they were alone, the man knelt down beside Jatiro's bed and looked him straight in the eye.

"ようこそ木の葉、見知らぬ人に。私はMinato Namikaze しています。この村の火影。私たちの言語の高速学ぶ私はあなたのために多くの質問があるからです。"Nodding, the Hume left the room without a second glance back. Jatiro shook his head and grinned.

'Hope what he said wasn't too important.' Shortly after the man left the doctors and nurse returned and began working on him again. Faces grimmer now than when he first woke up. 'That can't be good.' Jatiro thought leaning back and letting the good doctors do their work.

* * *

><p><em>Konoha Hospital, Konohagakure<em>

As Minato walked away from the newcomer's room he could only shake his head. He'd only met a couple people in his life who didn't speak the language of the Elemental Countries in his life. And one of them was a ninja whose brain was addled when he fell during a mission and cracked his skull open.

And that wasn't the most confusing thing about him. The man was clearly a warrior, evidenced by the fact that he was found wearing a strange blue and white armor and holding an oddly curved sword the likes of which he had never seen. The blade was curved somewhat like a katana though quite a bit wider and the handle curved in the opposite direction. Stranger still he learned before he entered the room that the man was completely devoid of chakra.

It wasn't unknown for a child to enter the academy only to find that they were completely unable to manipulate their chakra, it was often caused by an extremely rare genetic defect. But this man… he would have doctors talking for decades! Chakra was a person's life energy; even those who couldn't physically manipulate it still had it! And this man had none…he should be dead.

'Who…what are you…Jatiro?' Minato thought.

A scream erupted behind him in Jatiro's room. Swiftly drawing his three-point kunai he rushed back toward the room as doctors and nurses began stumbling out of the room.

"Move!" he shouted as he pushed his way into the room. Once inside his eyes widened at way he saw.

Jatiro saw in his bed with his eyes closed. His forehead bandages had been removed revealing the nasty looking wound that he had been found with days earlier. The man himself had his arms out in front of him with his palms face down one over the other. Blue streaks of light were streaming _into_ the man before him.

Minato had no idea what kind of jutsu the man was casting but he didn't think he had time to stop it. He grimaced as he braced for impact.

"_**Polen**__._"

Jatiro opened his eyes and swung his arms in a loose circle before sharply bringing them back together one over the other and parallel to one another. A bright light emitted from the center of his chest.

Minato held his position for a second…then another. Then the scent of flowers assaulted his nose and caused his eyes to widen. Right before his very eyes the man's gashed open head sealed itself up and looked as though he had never been injured.

Without taking notice of Minato, the man reached up and gently touched his forehead, checking for the wound. Nodding when he found none, he suddenly noticed Minato. He smiled and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

Minato shot him a confused look until he realized he still had the kunai in his hand with the business end towards Jatiro.

"Fácil. Fácil ahora. No hay necesidad de violencia." Jatiro said, smiling. Minato lowered his kunai and looked at him.

'I thought he was devoid of chakra!' he said to himself silently. There was no use asking Jatiro the question so he turned and stomped outside to grab the nearest doctor.

"I thought you said he had no chakra!" Minato said, his heart still pounding with adrenaline, to the closest doctor he could find.

"Lord Hokage! He didn't…doesn't! We checked him not twenty minutes ago!" Minato pulled him into the room and pointed at Jatiro, who threw his hands up in surrender.

"Then explain how he did that!" The doctor looked at his patient and was stunned. His head was completely healed. Not even he could have done such a good job. Acting quickly, the doctor pulled a small needle out of a nearby drawer and a slip of paper.

"Everyone, regardless of whether or not they can manipulate their chakra, has an elemental affinity." The doctor said grabbing Jatiro's hand as his did so. "This slip of paper reacts to chakra in a person's blood to determine that affinity when they are unable to use regular chakra paper for some reason, such as during an interrogation."

The doctor pricked Jatiro's finger and wiped some of the blood onto the slip. "It is otherwise just like chakra paper. And see, no reaction. In a normal person that would mean they have been long since dead and all residual chakra dissipated."

Minato took the slip from the doctor. "Maybe it's a faulty piece?"

"We would have thought so too, but that was the eleventh test we have conducted since his arrival!"

"Very well. I want you to call in for two Anbu Black Ops to come and guard this man. I also want someone to come and teach our language to him. No one is to have access to his room except for his doctors and nurses, his teacher, and myself. Most importantly no one is to know of his condition or ability. Not until we know more about him." Minato said.

The doctor, also a member of the Ninja Medic Corps, nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

Minato left the doctor to his work.

* * *

><p><em>Two months later<em>

Jatiro sighed as he look out the window of his room/cell. He had spent one more day in the hospital under observation before they moved him into this room where he had spent most of everyday learning the language, and once he'd become fairly proficient, being interrogated by the humans, as he had learned they called themselves. Functionally and anatomically they appeared to be the same race as Jatiro but he couldn't be sure.

There was a good chance he could have escaped, despite his well armed and highly trained…'_Anbu guards?' _he thought as he recalled the elite warriors stationed outside his room. But to be honest, he knew nothing of the land he was in and only recently learned the language with any proficiency.

'Even if I escape where would I go?' he thought.

A light rain began to descend over Konoha as he watched a funeral procession move along in the street below. Apparently this country had been at war with its neighbors and though it had recently swung in Konoha's favor, their enemies weren't ready to give up yet.

Thoughts of the war here quickly turned to thoughts of the situation back at home. Al Zahbi, the capital of The Empire of Aht Urhgan was in a perpetual state of war. Every few days the Mamool Ja, a collection of beastmen who have banded together, or the Lamia, a group of snakewomen, or one of the other creatures that infested the areas outside the city's gates would launch a strike against the unprotected commoner's ward. The Empress had to resort to recruiting mercenaries to help fill in the gaps where her army couldn't.

A gap made wider by his disappearance. The Empress was going to have his hide when he returned to Al Zahbi.

'_If _I return to Al Zahbi…' he thought as he recalled the day his personal items, minus the weapons, had been returned to him. He had opened the small blue bag that held his teleport crystals. He had hoped that if even one of them was intact he could find a way to activate one and return to Vana'diel. To his dismay, they had crumbled into black dust, beyond repair.

A small break in the clouds revealed that the sun had begun rising, soon an interrogator would arrive to continue their daily sessions.

'I suppose I should be happy they haven't resorted to torture.' He thought absently. They didn't keep him in chains, yet anyway, but if they discovered he was using his blue magic to coat himself in a damage resistant skin they might change their tune.

A light knocking on the door caused Jatiro to look back. The door opened the reveal the leader of Konoha, Minato Namikaze. Jatiro glanced at the man he hadn't seen since he awoke in the hospital two months ago. He looked exhausted. There were bags under his eyes attesting to his lack of sleep, his white coat was torn up badly and bandages had been applied to his cheek. Despite this he still had an air of command and determination around him.

"Good morning." Minato greeted.

"Good Morning, Lord…uh…Hokaze." Jatiro said, causing Minato to grin.

"Ho…ka…ge. I'm the Hokage, not the Hokaze. Not bad though, seems you are quick to learn." Minato praised.

"Maldito…thank you though, I am trying. What can I do for you, Lord Hokage?"

"I come with an offer. From what my subordinates have reported you seem to be a fairly powerful warrior from another country…which you claim isn't even from this world. Is that correct?" Minato asked. Jatiro looked at him with exasperation.

"I've told your men this over and over. I'm not sure. I suspect though because my teleport crystals have crumbled. I believe this is because they are cut off from their source of power."

"I see. What are the prospects of you returning to your homeland?"

"I can already see where this is going. My answer is no. I am already beholden to another. My life belongs to my Empress and the Empire of Aht Urhgan." Jatiro said standing up, a fire in his eyes.

"And what will you do if you can't return to your country? Will you stay and rot here forever? At least by serving me you can make a difference here! We need every scrap of power we can get if we are to win this war. If we lose it means even your life is forfeit!"Minato shouted, angry at Jatiro's refusal.

"I'm sorry! But as soon as I can I must find a way to return to my…" Jatiro said before being interrupted by Minato's raised hand.

"A compromise then, serve me. Serve me until you find a way home and if that time comes you may depart from us on good terms."

Jatiro was about to refuse, but held his tongue a moment.

'If I refuse I may be a prisoner here indefinitely. At least by helping him I can be free to find a way home…not to mention I might be able to gain more power by battling here…'

Jatiro sighed.

"It seems I am at your mercy. Very well, I shall serve you until such a time as I can find a way home." Minato's face brightened.

"Thank you, Jatiro. To start, I want to test you against some of my Jonin to see where…"

"No." Jatiro said, interrupting.

"What? What do you mean no? You said you'd serve me. I have to know where to place you in the village's command structure." Minato said.

"I will not fight anyone unless I have to. Blue mages fight for much higher stakes than other warriors. We have no choice. That is why we do not spar. Anyone. For fear that we might cause irreparable damage." Jatiro said, looking down at his lap. Minato rubbed his head in frustration.

"Very well. Would joining me and my team on a mission suit you better? There is likely to be combat and while I hate to put you or my students at risk, this is a vital mission." Minato offered. Jatiro nodded in response.

"That is acceptable. Are your student's capable?" Jatiro asked.

"I'm insulted. Do you really think that the students of the most powerful ninja of this village would be weak?" Minato said with a grin. "I'm more worried about you than them!"

* * *

><p><em>5 years later<em>

_The mission had proved beyond successful and Jatiro had been fully accepted into the village's military. With the added power Jatiro brought to the Minato's team, they had easily been able to destroy the bridge and escape without being caught. Within the year the war was quickly brought to an end. Afterwards Jatiro became a bit of a recluse, only leaving his apartment for missions and the occasional get-together with Minato and his new wife, Kushina. Despite his intentions otherwise, Jatiro had become good friends with them._

Jatiro sighed as he looked into the night sky.

'Five years and absolutely no progress.' Jatiro thought as he leaned on the balcony of his apartment. Despite the many technical advances the Land of Fire had over his home world, it still didn't have the one thing he needed; A way home.

'Maybe it's time I stopped looking and started settling down…' The thought… was a tempting one. After five years without progress and seeing the budding relationship between his first friends in this world he was becoming a bit envious. They even had a child on the way.

"Heh. If he inherits his mother's personality this village is in for some trouble." The very idea nearly made him giddy. After all the trouble he had been put through by Minato and his attempts to get him to settle down he deserved a bit of karmic payback.

Constantly introducing him to women, forcing him to go to formal parties and other social get-togethers…not that it wasn't fun and the women were plenty interesting and very pretty, but it was all a distraction.

A distraction from a goal that seemed more fantasy than possibility with each passing day.

Before he could continue on the circular path of self-doubt, a sudden sense of wrongness pervaded the air around him bringing him to full alert. Jatiro turned on his heel and ran inside, quickly pulling his Magus gear on and grabbing his scimitar.

Without bothering to lock his door he took off into the night to find his friend and leader.

* * *

><p><em>Outside Konohagakure<em>

"Dying to make a better life for his son is the kind of thing you let a father handle." Minato said as he crouched before his wife, his son in his arms. Minato then handed little Naruto off to Kushina and spun to face the Nine-tailed fox. The purple hand of the Death God, who had been summoned by Minato's Reaper Death Seal, erupted from his chest and flew out to latch onto the Nine-tailed fox's soul. An instant before his could complete the seal however a fist planted itself in Minato's face, disrupting the jutsu completely and causing Minato to land in a heap a few feet away.

"What the hell are you doing!" Minato yelled at the newcomer. "That beast is going to destroy everything now! It can't be left unchecked!"

The man glowered at him from behind his facecloth, his face shone metallic in the moonlight.

"By sacrificing yourself?" Jatiro replied, "Do you know what that would do to the village? To the child in your wife's arms?"

"What good does it do for me to survive if everyone else dies!"

"There is always another way!" Jatiro spun and fixed Kushina with his Blank Gaze. Her eyes widened as she suddenly felt her barrier destroyed. An instant later Jatiro swung his arms out, casting another spell.

"_**Jettatura!**_" He casted as the Nine-tails roared in defiance and begun to attack. A cloud of purple energy and streams of darkness surrounded the beast for a moment. It suddenly flinched back, surprised at its own sudden feeling of terror.

"Minato!" another voice called out, The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had arrived. Minato slammed his hand to the ground and summoned a small shrine next to his wife.

The instant of terror that had gripped the Nine-tailed fox passed and in its rage swung a claw at Kushina and her child, intending to prevent the humans from resealing it. In desperation Minato threw himself between the claw and his wife and child.

Minato grimaced as he waited for the claw to pierce him. After a moment passed he looked back in amazement. Jatiro had intercepted the attack with his blade and was holding the mighty beast back, if only just.

"I told you…you aren't… dying today." Jatiro panted as his body shook with the massive effort he exerted to hold back the beast.

"_**INSOLENT WHELP!**_" The Nine-Tailed Fox roared as it opened its mouth. Dark energy gathered mere inches from its teeth. "_**DIE!**_" Jatiro pushed the claw back and drew in his energy, casting one of his most familiar spells in an instant.

"_**Cocoon!**_"

The dark energy erupted from the beast's mouth scorching everything within a few feet of the shrine Minato had summoned.

"No!" The Third yelled as his student, wife, child, and friend all disappeared in the beam of energy and ensuing cloud of dust.

The Fox roared in triumph as nothing could have survived the blast.

However, as the smoke cleared, it was revealed that it had celebrated too soon. Minato held his wife protectively, both with their bodies placed between the Fox and their child. Between them and the Fox stood Jatiro.

A round barrier surrounded all four of them and was covered in cracks. An instant later it shattered and evaporated as the magic that created it failed. The man who cast the spell collapsed to one knee as the magic that coated his skin also evaporated.

"Damn it…" Jatiro groaned as he suddenly coughed up blood. "That thing is unreal…"

The Third glanced from the Fox to the family plus one and back to the fox again. He knew what needed to be done.

_Snake-Boar-Ram-Rabbit-Dog-Rat-Bird-Horse-Snake_

"_**Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!**_" The Third yelled as he unleashed the jutsu. In a flash the Death God, invisible to all but Sarutobi appeared. His soul erupted from his back and the Death God, eager to get the prey he had been denied moments ago, reached through Sarutobi's soul and once more grabbed the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Jatiro gasped for air as he tried to stand up but couldn't and only barely managed to stay in a kneeling position. The Fox had turned his gaze away from him for the moment, but he couldn't care why. His body was littered with cuts, bruises, and a myriad of other injuries. The Fox's power had cut straight through his stoneskin and completely destroyed his shielding.

The world began fading and for a moment he wondered if he was about to pass out. Then came the exhilaration mixed with fear as a familiar scenario began playing itself out. Everything became black until there was nothing left but The Fox, himself, and strangely the Third Hokage and some weird purple demon.

The Third looked surprised as the world changed as did the Fox, while the Death God remained focused on its task.

A hissing laughter erupted from the shadowed world as time slowed for each of the people trapped in the moment.

A blue blur suddenly shot forward out of nowhere and leapt toward the soul being pulled out of the Fox. The thing sunk huge fangs into the soul and ripped out a chunk, now catching the attention and surprise of the Reaper. The thing hit the ground in front of Jatiro and greedily began consuming the chunk of soul.

The Reaper seemed to consider the creature before dismissing it, and the tiny chunk of soul it had stolen as irrelevant and returned to its task.

Once the creature had finished its unusual meal it stood and looked at Jatiro, hunger in its eyes.

Jatiro gasped as he felt an incredible rush of energy. He pushed himself to his feet and looked at the creature before him.

The creature wore identical clothing to Jatiro's except for the missing face mask. Physically the two could have been twins…except for two things. The creature's mouth dominated most of its face and couldn't even contain the horrible, dagger like fangs within. And it had eyes blacker than the darkest night.

Jatiro schooled his face into a blank mask, despite how much he wanted to grimace. The creature was the representation of his soul. As a blue mage he had consumed and fused the very souls of many of the enemies he had fought over the years into his own, their power became his and their essences tainted and warped his soul.

The creature roared as power from the soul it had consumed filled it with energy, its muscles became more defined; its teeth grew a little longer and sharper. It fixed its terrible black eyes on Jatiro and grinned. It flexed its muscles and began to take a step towards Jatiro.

In a blur Jatiro launched himself forward and backhanded the creature, flinging it to the ground several feet away. It hit the ground hard but quickly rolled onto all fours. It hissed angrily, but backed away into the shadows once more.

"Young man…what was that." Sarutobi asked through grit teeth.

"That…was my true self. One day it will grow powerful enough to defeat me. Just before it does my body will look very close to that creature. And when it consumes me I will become a terrible creature of death and destruction and will have to be killed. Such is the price we Blue Mages pay and the reason we hide our faces. We fear that our comrades might see our true face in battle and kill us out of fear." Jatiro said quietly. The old man looked at Jatiro with pity in his eyes for but an instant and then the moment was over and the world returned.

Jatiro opened his eyes and saw that he was still kneeling. He turned his head as Sarutobi groaned, the seal completed. The Fox roared as it shrunk to less than a third of its size, still not dead. Jatiro couldn't help but groan. He felt a bit better thanks to the energy he absorbed but it wasn't enough to stop that thing.

He could only watch as Sarutobi leapt over to where Minato stood in shock. The man whispered something to Minato before picking up baby Naruto and facing the Fox. Without jumbling the baby, he formed more hand signs, threw a hand out towards the fox, who vanished in a flash of light, sealed within the child.

Minato managed to catch him and the baby before they hit the ground. Jatiro pushed himself to his feet and stumbled over to Kushina as the other two men exchanged a few last words.

"I…I wish I could have seen him grow up…" She whispered to Jatiro as she grabbed one of his hands in her own, tears flowing down her face." There are things I wanted to tell him as he grew. About life and love. Skills I wanted to teach him." She turned her head and coughed up blood. "Please…help Minato take care of him?" she begged.

Jatiro shook his head and reached up and undid the clasp on his face mask. "Sorry Kushina. I'm not really a suitable substitute for a mother." He said with a grin. She looked at him in disbelief, shocked at his unkind words. "You'll just have make do with doing it yourself."

Jatiro brought his hands together and began drawing up the last dregs of power he had left.

"_**Magic Fruit!**_" He whispered as sweat poured down his face. A small red fruit came into existence in his palm. Kushina's eyes widened as she watched.

"A…strawberry?" She whispered as he pressed the fruit to her mouth. "What is wrong with…?"

"_Eat!_" He urged her. Too tired to argue she took a small bite, chewed, and swallowed. A moan escaped from her lips as the fruit began working its healing magic on her. Jatiro placed the fruit up to her mouth again and she took another, bigger bite. Another bite saw the end of the fruit.

Kushina started weeping again as she sat up and hugged the Blue Mage. She raised her eyes a moment later and saw her husband walking towards them and carrying their child. She wasted no time running to and embracing them.

Jatiro allowed himself a small grin as he slipped away quietly to get some help for the couple, their child, and the former leader of the village.

* * *

><p>Translations: see google translate.<p>

Blue Magic: The ability of a Blue Mage to take on the power of their enemies.

**Polen: **Pollen(english) is a minor healing ability learned from members of the Bee family.

**Jettatura: **A spell from the Bird family that causes terror in the targets by showing them the Evil Eye.

**Cocoon:** A spell from the Crawler family that creates a shielding effect around the caster. (Slightly modified for story purposes when compared with in-game version)

**Metallic Body(Unnamed in text): **A layer of magic coats the caster and absorbs damage. From the Crab Family.

**Magic Fruit: **A powerful healing ability from the Beast Family. Able to be cast on party members.

Jutsu:

**Reaper Death Seal: **Seals the target and caster's souls in the belly of the death god.


	2. Desire for Power

Chapter 2: Desire for Power

_11 years later…_

_Ninja Academy, Konohagakure_

"Naruto, this is your last chance," Iruka growled, "You failed the exam last year, so you should have learned from your mistakes by now!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, Sensei! I was just fooling around before."

"You are the son of the Hokage! You should act more mature. You failed last year. Is that what you are hoping for this year as well?"

Naruto paled and quickly bowed to Iruka. "N-no Sensei!" Mom would probably kill him if he failed again.

"Iruka, maybe we should go easy on him this time," the other teacher in the room said. "He did extremely well on the sparring portion of the exam and made a decent showing of the other two jutsu, is the clone technique really that important? Heck, he's even dressed properly for a ninja!"

Iruka shot Mizuki a glare, but couldn't refute the man. As the son of the Hokage, his parents had drilled certain ideas into his head on the way a ninja should dress and act. Unlike other students, who wore colorful and occasionally flamboyant clothing, Naruto wore a very sensible outfit. He wore a dark, but not quite black, shirt with red accents as well as dark pants with plenty of pocket space. Even with the red accents, it would be hard to spot him in low light.

"I don't care. All students are to be held to the same standard. If anything he should be held to a higher standard _because_ he's the Hokage's son. Now Naruto, please perform the Cloning Jutsu or I will fail you again." Iruka replied, causing Naruto to nod rapidly in agreement.

Naruto shifted into a wide stance and brought his hands together in the tiger seal, gathering chakra. '_I'll show them both! They shouldn't treat me any different just 'cause I'm the Hokage's son!'_

"**Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto cried out as his chakra left him, flooding the room with smoke. Unfortunately, as the smoke cleared, a pitiful sight revealed itself. A half-dead looking clone lay on the floor, unable to even lift itself up. As an angry look appeared on Iruka's face, Naruto tried to protest. "S-sensei! Wait just a second! I can explain!"

"NA-RU-TO! YOU FAIL!"

* * *

><p>Naruto quickly burst out the front door of the Academy and dashed off towards the center of town. As he left he could hear the parents that had gathered to support their children muttering about him as he left.<p>

'_Damnit…I try so hard, but I can't get it right!_' he thought to himself. He felt something warm on his cheeks and buried his face in his arm to hide his tears. '_Great and now I'm crying! I can't let the villagers see me, the Hokage's son, like this. Not that it matters. Mom's going to murder me and worse, Dad's going to be so disappointed. How am I ever going to be Hokage if I can't do a stupid clone jutsu?!'_

Naruto kept running until he exhausted himself, only stopping when he felt like he couldn't run any more. After noting the mostly empty street, he leaned against a wall and allowed himself to sink to the ground.

"Damn. What am I going to do?" He said quietly, thumping his head against the wall behind him.

"Naruto?" said a familiar voice. Naruto turned his head to locate the voice's owner.

"Uncle Jat?" Naruto suddenly jumped up to meet his father's friend. Naruto had looked up to him for a long time because his father always spoke highly of him.

"Hey there, Kid. How'd the exam go?" Naruto suddenly slumped back down to the ground at Jatiro's words.

"That bad, huh? How about you and I go grab lunch and you can tell me about it." Jatiro said, extending his hand out to help him back up. Naruto eyed him suspiciously for a minute.

"Your treat? Using real money? Not that fake stuff?" Jatiro grabbed at his chest dramatically.

"Naruto, you wound me. I accidentally pay for one meal with currency from my home world and leave you to pay the bill and now you are so suspicious. Que triste!"

"You will pay with Ryo." Naruto said, insisting.

"Ah. Very well. Come we have much to talk about."

Naruto shot Jatiro's back a quizzical look before following. '_What did he mean by that?'_

* * *

><p><em>Ichiraku Ramen Stand<em>

"So that's how it happened, eh?" Jatiro said as he finished his bowl of ramen.

"Yeah, I don't get why it's so hard for me. I understand what I'm supposed to do, but it's like trying to fill a small cup with a fire hose at full blast." Naruto replied before chugging his broth and asking for another bowl.

"Tell me, Naruto, why do you want to be a Ninja?" Jatiro asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Naruto replied.

"Exactly what I said…I think… I did say it right, yes? Why be a Ninja?"

"I want to be Hokage, of course! I need to surpass Dad and protect the village!" Naruto exclaimed standing up and facing the Blue Mage.

"Why do you need to be Hokage to help the village? There are so many important jobs in the village; I know for a fact Kushina would be very relieved if you chose a safer occupation." Jatiro said, before signaling for another bowl for himself.

"No. I want to be like Dad, but better. And I said protect, not help. I can't protect the village without being a ninja!"

"You can't? The Land of Iron is very well off and they have no ninja." Jatiro questioned.

"Well, yeah but they are like you. An exception to the rule. If I am going to protect the village I need to be a ninja so I can be strong!"

"Ah, so you want power. Is that it?"

"I…guess, yeah. I mean I can't protect people without power."

"I'll be honest with you, Naruto. I think I know why you have trouble with the clone jutsu." Jatiro leaned close and poked Naruto in the stomach as he spoke. "It's the tailed beast sealed within you."

Naruto sucked in a breath. "Dad said people aren't supposed to talk about that. Brings up bad memories and hurt feelings."

"Nonetheless, I need to tell you about it. The beast essentially boosts your chakra capacity far beyond most Jonin. From what I've read, you could eventually be a force of nature on the battlefield with that near limitless energy."

Naruto nodded in agreement. His dad had explained that much to him before.

"But let me tell you something, that isn't real power." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't get me wrong. That energy will allow you to keep fighting even when others can't, and to a degree it will make you faster and stronger at the cost of deteriorating your body, but in the end all it's just energy."

"What are you trying to say, Uncle Jat?"

"What if I could offer you a way to turn that energy into true power? Don't answer now, but think about it. Would you accept my offer?"

"I…I…" Naruto stuttered.

"I said not now. Think about why you want power, and what you'd be willing to do for it. If you want to accept I need you to do something for me. I need you to sneak into your father's library, and retrieve a certain scroll for me. The one on space-time jutsu. Your father hasn't let me see it, but agreed that I could test you in any way I saw fit. Bring it to me at Training Ground Eight tomorrow just before midnight."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I hope to see you there then." Jatiro said, before getting up and leaving.

Naruto sat back down and thought about the offer his Uncle put before him.

"Two Miso Ramen! Hey where did your friend go, Naruto?" Teuchi, the owner, said as he saw the ramen down.

"What? Oh that son of a…" Naruto yelled as he realized Jatiro didn't leave any cash.

Jatiro's laughter rang out as he fled.

* * *

><p><em>Later that Evening<em>

"Naruto, What am I going to do with you? Go sit down." Kushina said to Naruto as she prepared dinner for him and Minato. Naruto hung his head as he sat down at the dinner table. As expected, his mother was extremely disappointed with him. "You know these tests are important if you want to be a ninja."

"I know, Mom." Naruto replied.

"Honey, I know how tough it is." Kushina said as she walked over and sat a plate in front of him. Cupping his cheek she continued, "The Fox's power makes it so much harder to do these simple things. When I was a child and the new container the times were different. They skipped right over some of the basic things and taught me a lot of high powered attacks. Now, though, they have different expectations," Kushina turned her head to the side, "Minato! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming, dear!"

"I try really hard, Mom! I just can't get the clone jutsu down." Naruto said as he poked at his plate with his chopsticks.

"Maybe you should consider another career? Perhaps with the Engineering Corp? I know that many a young lady would be smitten with an engineer as cute as you…"

"MOM!" Naruto shouted, standing up and blushing.

Minato chose that moment to arrive.

"Naruto! Don't yell at your mother. Especially because she's right. The Village couldn't get by without our Engineer Corp. And you would be quite the ladies man." Minato said with a grin.

"Not you too, Dad! I want to be a ninja like you! Or maybe a blue ma…" Naruto said before Minato suddenly interrupted him.

"Blue Machinist? Well that division of the Combat Engineers is pretty popular." Minato said with a look. Kushina shot a curious look at Minato.

"Either way, stop picking at your plate. You need to eat if you want to grow strong." Kushina chided. The next few minutes passed with small talk passing between Minato and Kushina. Naruto tuned them out as he pondered Jatiro's question.

"Dad?" Naruto said quietly. Minato looked over at him.

"What is it, Naruto?"

"Why did you become a ninja?" Naruto asked, staring intently at his plate. Minato and Kushina glanced at each other.

"Well that's quite a question. When I became a ninja our village's situation was different. We were on the brink of war and every ninja was needed. I didn't really have a choice in a way."

"Would you have chosen differently if you could have?"

"Maybe. It would have been a lot easier to court your mother if I was a hot shot Engineer instead of competing with her for missions." Minato said with a laugh.

"Oh you." Kushina said, blushing. "Here I'll take your plates." She said as she carried the dishes to the kitchen. Once she was out of the room Minato turned to Naruto.

"I know Uncle Jatiro talked to you about possibly being a blue mage. I think you should consider the possibility, but don't tell your mother yet. I don't want her to worry." Minato grimaced. "I won't lie to you, son. Jatiro said that process was very dangerous. It was almost impossible to convince him to even offer you the option."

"I…I'll think about it." Naruto said. "May I be excused?"

"Sure…Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I became a Ninja so I could protect the ones I love. When it comes down to it, that's all that matters."

"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

><p>Minato looked down at the scroll in his hands in the dim light of his library. "Damn it. Is this really the right thing to do?"<p>

He remembered how hard it was to convince Jatiro to even consider making Naruto a Blue Mage.

* * *

><p><em>A month ago…<em>

_Jatiro kicked the door of the Hokage's office open and abruptly left._

"_Jatiro!" Minato yelled out as he chased after him._

"_I said no! You don't know what it is you are asking! I'm not going to place this power in the hands of a child. Even yours." Jatiro yelled, startling the secretary at her desk._

"_Hokage-sama! Lord Jatiro! What's wrong?" She called out as Jatiro stormed passed her._

"_Don't worry about it. JATIRO!" Minato said as he raced to keep up._

"_Enough! Maldito!" Minato lunged and grabbed Jatiro by the shoulder._

"_He already has enormous power that he can't control. With your help he could become more."_

"_At the cost of his soul. Is it worth it?" Jatiro whispered._

"_How's your soul doing these days? You haven't aged a day since you got here, has your soul fared worse?"_

_Jatiro slumped at Minato's words._

"_No. It's…it's actually gotten better. All my foes here have been Hume-like, their souls pure, unlike the corrupted ones of the monsters of my world. I'll…I'll give him the choice, but neither you nor I will force him. It must be his choice."_

* * *

><p>Minato sighed.<p>

The scroll in his hands contained much of the theoretical information he had gathered on space-time jutsu. Jatiro had asked for it before, but he had always withheld it for not entirely innocent reasons.

He was afraid that, with the scroll, Jatiro might be able to figure out a way to get back home. That was not something he was ready to accept just yet. Or at least he thought he wasn't.

Minato glanced back at the shadows and saw a tuft of yellow hair poking out from behind a shelf. His son's future was more important that trying to prevent his friend from returning to his world. Minato allowed himself a small smile and set the scroll down on his desk and stood up.

'Good luck, Naruto. I have faith that you'll become even stronger than Jatiro or myself.'

Minato left his desk light on and left the room.

* * *

><p>Naruto peaked around the corner and watched his dad leave the room. He held himself steady, not rushing forward for his goal. His parents had taught him to be patient in this kind of situation. If his Dad came back he'd be in hot water. He forced himself to breathe evenly and count to track time. After a few minutes had passed he slipped forward and pick-up the scroll.<p>

'_Sorry, Dad. I won't become a ninja after all,_' He thought as he slipped the scroll under his arm. Opening the door to the library, he peaked out into the hallway. Finding it empty, he sighed and went quickly and calmly to his room.

"Engineer…yeah, right." Naruto whispered as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>The next day passed uneventfully for Naruto.<p>

Having failed the exam, he wouldn't have class until next semester. His friends from his year would be off meeting their teacher today while he was stuck at home. Instead, he spent a few hours wandering the town trying to find Jatiro so he could ask him some questions. Failing that, he went to Ichiraku for ramen. Afterwards he wandered until he sighted Tenten and Rock Lee, students from his class. Not wanting to see any of his former classmates after making such a poor showing, Naruto quickly made his way home.

Naruto sat at his desk in his room staring down at the stolen scroll.

'_Is it worth it? I've wanted to be a ninja for so long…on the other hand Uncle Jat is strong too. Dad said that he would never want to fight him. He even saved my parents during the attack 11 years ago…' _Naruto screwed his eyes shut.

"Naruto! Dinner's ready!" Kushina called out. Naruto opened his eyes.

_I became a Ninja…_

"…so I can protect the ones I love." Naruto whispered to himself.

"Naruto? Did you hear me?"

Naruto turned around in his chair and yelled back, "I'm not hungry, Mom!"

"Are you sure? You've never skipped a meal before!"

"Yeah. Just thinking about the… Engineer Corp." Naruto called back.

"Alright. I'll save some for you in case you get hungry later."

"Thanks, Mom." He replied.

Naruto turned back to the scroll, steel in his eyes. Picking it up, he walked over to the window, threw it open, and leapt out. It was time to find Training Ground Eight.

* * *

><p>It took a couple of hours to find the training ground, and a couple more before he managed to sneak pass the guards. As he came to the entrance, he was surprised to find that the training ground was actually a cave.<p>

'_What is he thinking having me meet him here?'_ Naruto said as he peered inside. He could only see a few feet ahead before it became total blackness. Naruto edged forward and placed his hand on the wall. '_If this is a test, I will pass it. All I have to do is keep a hand on the wall and I'll find him eventually._

Naruto followed the wall carefully for about 100 feet before he noticed a soft bluish glow ahead. Lifting his hand off the wall, Naruto raced forward, the light growing brighter until he could comfortably see. He quickly found the source of the light not far ahead. Strange mushrooms were growing along the walls and were emitting a natural light.

"Uncle Jat?" Naruto called out as he continued forward. Silence was his only answer.

Turning a corner, Naruto was met with the sight of a large glowing pool in the center of a cavern. The mushrooms on the walls lit up the pool, giving it an eerie glow. A platform was in the middle of the pool and atop it stood a man clothed in intricate blue armor.

"Uncle Jat?" Naruto said as he walked forward. The man turned and grimaced at him.

"I'm not sure if I'm glad you came or not. Did you bring the scroll?"

Naruto held it up for him to see.

"Good, bring it here." Naruto stepped carefully into the water, noting that it was a shallow, if large pool.

"Why did you want me to meet you here, Uncle Jat?" Naruto asked as he handed the scroll over. Jatiro immediately opened it, confirming that it was real.

"Nostalgia, I suppose. I was initiated into the Immortal Lions in a cave like this one. Well done getting this. We have things to talk about." Jatiro said as he set the scroll at his feet.

"Naruto, I have a lot of respect for your father and mother and I'm grateful to them for everything they've done for me in the 16 years I've been here. For those reasons, I won't let you walk into this decision blind, as I did."

"What do you mean blind? I'll become like you, won't I?" Naruto questioned, puzzled. He thought being he showed he wanted to do this.

"That's the idea, anyway. To be honest, I'm not sure whether or not the process will work. It is extremely painful for people of my world. I can't imagine it being anything different for people of yours, assuming the process doesn't kill you out right."

"I was going to be a Ninja, Uncle. We were going to be expected to risk our lives at a moment's notice, anyway." Jatiro sighed and shook his head.

"You can consider yourself lucky if you do die," Jatiro replied, drawing a confused look from Naruto, "Naruto, has anyone ever called you a monster before?"

"Well…yeah…when I was really young I wandered away from mom in the market. I ran into a really drunk guy who yelled at me and tried to kick me. The ANBU stopped him and took him away, but he called me monster." Naruto said quietly. It wasn't a fond memory.

"Did you believe him?"

"No! Dad said that people who think like that are either idiots or blinded by grief! He said just because I contain something monstrous doesn't mean I'm a monster!" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing throughout the chamber.

"If you become a Blue Mage that will no longer be true." Jatiro said quietly, shocking Naruto into silence with his words. "To be a Blue Mage is to be a monster. You will tear the very essence out of your foes, making their strength yours, fusing a part of their soul to yours. If they survive, they will be changed, scarred by what you did to them. Your soul may become corrupted, as mine is, and one day, if you survive long enough, if you fail to keep your soul in check you will become a Soulflayer, a monster of death and destruction. You will care nothing for friend and foe as you tear into anyone before you." A shadow gathered in front of Jatiro's face as he spoke. Naruto subconsciously took a step back.

"A soul is already attached to yours, in a way. You and the fox will become one being. You will retain your mind, but you will have to fight him for control for the rest of your life. In exchange you will gain his power. You will be able to smite the foes of Konoha, or anyone you wish to."

Jatiro turned away from Naruto.

"You will become an unstoppable force. Is that what you want?" Jatiro said, turning sharply to face Naruto.

"I…I…" Naruto stuttered by this unseen side of Jatiro. Jatiro held his hand out to Naruto.

"If you truly desire the power that a Blue Mage wields, take my hand."

Naruto hesitated an instant more before taking Jatiro's outstretched hand.

"Good." Jatiro said as he suddenly yanked Naruto off balance. Naruto never had time to react as Jatiro pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Naruto's chest. "This will probably hurt, like being torn in two. I'm sorry in advance…"

Naruto gasped as his vision went dark and he fell to the ground. Pain radiated out into his body from where the needle was plunged into him. And as promised he felt like someone was tearing him in two. Then there was blackness.

* * *

><p><em>Location Unknown<em>

Naruto started awake and found himself in a strange place. It appeared to be a hallway of some sort, and very dark. Water dripped from pipes running above the hallway and through the walls. Standing up, he peered around nervously.

'Where the hell am I?' he wondered.

"This is your mindscape." A voice said, startling Naruto, who jumped back. A figure appeared in front of Naruto, clad in blue armor similar to what Jatiro had been wearing. Even more unsettling was that it looked exactly like he did.

"Who the hell are you and what is a 'mindscape.'" Naruto demanded.

"A mindscape is the representation of one's subconscious. Few can actually access this place outside of dreams, however, we are a special case."

"We?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I am you. Or more specifically I am your Soul."

"My s-s-soul?!" Naruto yelled in confusion.

"Yes. Calm down. After all, this is what we wanted. Sort of. Jatiro was correct when he told Dad that this process probably wouldn't work on us. The concoction that Jatiro injected into us did split me from you, however it failed to turn us into a Blue Mage. We're dying."

"WHAT! What can we do? I don't want to die now!" Naruto yelled. Naruto's Soul held up a hand and a liquid began coalescing into an orb in his palm.

"Fear not. I have a plan to ensure we survive. Part of the mixture was made up of Jatiro's blood. With this, and some help from Kurama we can adapt and complete the transformation and save our life." Naruto's Soul gestured from Naruto to follow it as it began walking off.

"Ok, but who is Kurama?" Naruto asked.

"Ah right. You are bound by human limits of knowledge. Kurama is the name of our tenant. We'll need help from him if we want to survive. Come."

Naruto remained silent as he followed his Soul through a complex route, twisting and turning multiple times. It eventually opened up into a large room with what appeared to be a cage in it. On the center bar was a slip of paper that read "seal."

"Kurama! We seek an audience with you, O Honorable child of the Sage!" His Soul called out. Something began shifting around in the cage, something massive. It yawned before opening one of its massive eyes to look at the pair.

"_**Interesting. You know of my name. It is good to hear it out loud again. Very well, I will tolerate your presence for a moment.**_" Kurama answered as it rose to a sitting position.

"We are dying. As you know, when we die, you will as well. So I come offering a bargain. I have a sample of blood from a being of another world. We desire to be as he is, but the process has failed. I know that you could complete it, using this blood. In exchange I will offer you a better chance at freedom. Become one with me and you will be free from that cage. You will see and experience everything that he does." Naruto's Soul offered.

"_**Why should that interest me, little soul? Why not come closer and let me free? I'll eat you and your suffering will be ended quickly.**_" Kurama growled, before chuckling.

"Interesting you should mention the consumption of souls. His will be a life of battle. He will have to tear the strength from his enemies. Our role will be to eat those souls, then provide their power to Naruto. It will be an interesting trip and you'll have many opportunities to kill him and take over his body." The Soul said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled.

"Shut up." His Soul replied. "Will you accept, great one?"

"_**Hmmm. Could be interesting. Very well. Give me the blood.**_" Kurama replied. The Soul tossed the blue orb to the Fox who caught it in his teeth and consumed it. "_**Hmm…HMMMM. YES! THIS WILL BE INTERESTING INDEED!**_" Kurama reached through the cage and blue energy rushed from its paw and slammed into Naruto and his Soul. Naruto doubled over in pain as he felt something begin to change in him. Unfazed, the Soul walked forward and pealed the seal off the cage. The Fox began laughing as the bars crumbled and he began shrinking.

"This will be interesting indeed." The Soul said as it approached the Fox. The Soul held out its hand and the fox gripped it in its paw. As they did, a bright light filled the room, blinding Naruto temporarily. Slowly, the pain faded and his vision returned. Before him stood his Soul, different now than it was before. No longer was its armor blue, but a bright orange color. Its eyes no longer matched Naruto's, but were slit like the Fox's and red. Finally, a tail sways back and forth behind him.

"What happened." Naruto asked.

"_We were… successful in… completing the…transformation._" The Soul replied, its voice distorted. "_I can…hold him…back this time…but not for long…go…go before I lose control and attack before you've regained your strength._" Naruto hesitated as he watched his Soul wrap its arms around itself. "_Fly, you fool!_" It yelled as it swung a hand out, unleashing a wave of power that slammed into Naruto and rushed him back through the maze and out of his mindscape.

* * *

><p>Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. Turning his head he was greeted with the sight of Jatiro sitting in a chair next to the bed he was apparently in. Naruto tried to rise, but collapsed back into the bed. He could smell the antiseptic chemicals in the air and figured that he was in the hospital.<p>

"Easy now, Naruto. It isn't quite time for you to get up yet. You nearly died." Jatiro said quietly.

"Why do I feel so weak, Uncle Jat?" Naruto whispered back.

"Sensei Jatiro now. I am now your teacher and you are my student."

"You mean…?"

"That's right. You are a Blue Mage. However, at this moment you are an empty…well mostly empty, vessel. In order to make you stronger, your previous strength was sapped. I told you that Blue Mages must tear the strength from their enemies, now you know why. Ordinarily, this is where I would leave you to find your own way. But you are no ordinary recruit, and this is not Aht Urhgan. Rest tonight. Tomorrow we shall begin your training."


End file.
